


Unasked-for Gifts

by Tani



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-17
Updated: 2011-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tani/pseuds/Tani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Oishi pulls Arai and Ikeda aside after practice, they aren't sure what to expect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unasked-for Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting around, finished but unedited, for a very long time now. This story has not been beta read, so there probably are mistakes. If you notice them, feel free to let me know, and I'll fix them ASAP. Any and all feedback appreciated. Enjoy!

“Arai, Ikeda, can I talk to you guys?”

Arai exchanged a confused look with Ikeda. What could Oishi want with them? If it was something to do with practice, he would have just said it in front of everyone. Asking to speak to them privately...Now, that was weird. Thoroughly befuddled, Arai shrugged and followed. The sound of footsteps behind him told him that Ikeda was doing the same.

Oishi led them to a deserted area just outside the courts, then turned to face them with a serious look on his face. Arai again wracked his brain for the reason why. What could have Oishi so worked up? Even though they had matches coming up, neither Arai nor Ikeda was going to be in them, so there was no need to be talking to them about that. And Arai didn't think he had done anything that would merit a scolding lately... After all, there was no way that Oishi could know about the incident with Horio and the rubber ducky. That brat didn't have the guts to tell on them. “What's the matter, Oishi-senpai?” he asked.

“Is something wrong?” Ikeda added from behind him.

Oishi studied the two of them a moment longer, then said, “I've been watching the two of you lately.”

OK, that was nice, if not a little creepy... But where was the point? Arai kept silent, hoping his confusion would be less obvious that way. Thankfully, Oishi continued speaking. “I know you must be trying to keep it secret, but I went through the same thing, so I know the signs. I just wanted you to know that I support you. Any time you need to talk, I'm here. And since I know how hard it can be to find things to do together outside of tennis, I got these for you. I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

Oishi extended an envelope. Arai took it automatically, mind still whirling as he tried to figure out just what in the world was happening. Before he had gathered up this thoughts enough to ask, Oishi was leaving. Arai turned to watch him go, mouth gaping just a little. He'd always thought of Oishi as one of the more normal members of the tennis team. For him to be so cryptic made it even stranger than if Fuji had said the same kind of thing.

“So, what did he give you?” Ikeda asked, taking a step forward so that he was almost even with Arai.

Arai blinked. He'd barely even registered the envelope in all his confusion about what was going on. Opening it, he found that inside were two tickets to an aquarium. An aquarium? Why would Oishi give them tickets to something like that? Why would he give them tickets to anything, for that matter? Arai thought back to Oishi's words before he'd given him the tickets. All that super-supportive mumbo jumbo and then...'I know how hard it can be to find things to do together outside of tennis,” he'd said. A horrible idea began to dawn on Arai.

“Wait. He thinks we're DATING!?” Arai's eyes glazed and a horrified half-smile crept onto his face as his subconscious assaulted him with the frightening mental image of Ikeda adorned in a frilly pink dress, beckoning to him enticingly. He twitched, then forced the image out of his mind. Shit, this had to be a dream.

“Hey! Why'd you pinch me?” Ikeda exclaimed, rubbing his hand.

Arai shrugged. “I figured this was too screwed up to be real, so it must be a dream. Plus, you didn't look nearly shocked enough, so I figured I'd help you get rid of your 'cool' image.”

Looking miffed, Ikeda reached out and smacked Arai in the back of the head. “You're supposed to pinch yourself, not other people! And unlike you, I don't need to look like a gorilla to express surprise.”

Arai gave him a narrow-eyed look for the gorilla remark, but decided to be the bigger man and ignore the insult. “Well, whatever. Either way, this is fucking crazy. We should just give these tickets back to him and forget about the whole thing.”

Arai turned to put his words into action, but Ikeda's outstretched arm stopped him. “Wait.”

“What? Don't tell me you actually want to go on a date with me.”

“Just think about it. Free tickets, man. Do you really want to give them back?”

Arai considered that. “Well, no, not really...but they're for an aquarium, so I don't really care that much. And what if Oishi-senpai asks how our 'date' went? Do you want to be the one to lie to him?”

“Oh, please. When has lying ever bothered you before? Besides, he would never bring it up. Oishi-senpai is way too discreet for that.”

“You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you wanted to go to some lousy aquarium.”

“It's not like we have the money to go anywhere else. I'm just saying, why not? Have you got anything better to do with your Sunday afternoon?”

Well, it was true that Arai was a little short on cash...He'd been cut off the last time his mother caught him taking candy from the kid next door. She hadn't even waited to hear his explanation. She'd just assumed the worst. Arai was still pissed about that. You'd think the woman could at least have some faith in her own son! (The fact that she was right was entirely irrelevant. It wouldn't have hurt the kid to lose a piece of candy or two, and Arai would have been teaching him the important life lesson that life sucks.)

“So why don't you have any money? Don't tell me you got in trouble or something.”

“I'm saving to buy a new tennis racket.”

“What's wrong with your old one?”

Ikeda ignored the question. “So, are we going or not? If you wait too long it's going to look suspicious when you try to return the tickets to Oishi-senpai.”

Arai rolled his eyes. “Fine, we'll go. But not a word to anyone, or I'll tell the whole school about the time you tried to dye your hair yourself and ended up a blond.”

Ikeda looked singularly unimpressed by his threat. “This Sunday, then. I'll meet you at the bus stop.” Then he turned and walked back onto the courts.

Arai paused a minute to stuff the tickets back into the envelope before following. Wouldn't want anyone to ask awkward questions. Especially when he wasn't sure he knew the answers himself.

\--

The aquarium was actually cooler than he'd thought it would be. Dim blue light filtered down through the tanks and brightly colored fish swam amongst coral reefs. The sharks were freaking awesome, and even though the dolphin show was kind of lame, some stupid people who had sat up front got completely soaked, causing shrieks from them and laughter from Arai. Ikeda hadn't laughed, but Arai was pretty sure that was because of the old grandma he was sitting next to. If Ikeda hadn't been between them, Arai might not have laughed either. She had a huge purse and looked more than capable of using it. Old women were scary.

After the dolphin show, they wandered around inside a little longer. Ikeda liked the penguins for some reason, so they hung around that area for a little while. Arai passed the time by glaring at any kid who came too close to him. He liked seeing how far out of their way they would go just to avoid him when they passed.

Finally, the two of them decided that they had seen all there was to see and that it was time to go. They paused in the gift shop on the way out. Arai was amused to discover that the little stuffed penguins were the exact same shade as Ikeda's hair. He thought about buying one for him using the money that his mother had given him for the bus, but they were too expensive. He'd have to keep the idea in mind when Ikeda's birthday rolled around. Any embarrassment that buying such a girly thing might cause him would be more than balanced out by Ikeda's reaction to receiving a stuffed animal, he was sure.

He did have enough money for something else though. “Hey, you want to go get some ice cream?” he asked as they made their way out onto the street.

Ikeda shook his head. “I only brought enough money for the bus.”

“That's ok. I'll buy. I won't even make you pay me back.”

“I thought you didn't have any money.”

“My mom gave me some for the bus, but she didn't have anything smaller than 2,000 yen, so I've got extra. You didn't honestly think I'd offer to pay for you if I was spending my own money, did you?”

“Isn't she going to be mad if you don't give her back the change?”

“What's she going to do? Take away my allowance?”

Ikeda laughed. “Fine. Let's get ice cream.”

Unsurprisingly, a few moments of quick exploration revealed several ice cream shops in the area. The aquarium was a big draw for kids, after all. They chose the most likely of the bunch. In other words, the one with the most flavors and the biggest sizes. Both agreed that in the case of ice cream, size does matter.

Ice cream was also better when sitting down and taking the proper time to savor it, so they settled into one of the outdoor tables that the little shop offered. Arai had gotten watermelon flavored, while Ikeda had settled for a more conventional triple chocolate. As usual, Arai finished his ice cream first. What could he say? He was just an inhale sort of guy!

The problem occurred when it came to Ikeda. Ikeda was not an inhale sort of guy. He liked to savor his food. He also liked to get under Arai's skin, which Arai was sure was at least half of the reason he always took so long to finish things. Sentenced to watch Ikeda eat his ice cream for what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Arai fidgeted. He twitched. In the end, he outright glared. And still Ikeda didn't speed up.

Thankfully, not even Ikeda could stretch one ice cream cone out forever, and there finally came a point when he was done. Arai practically bounced out of his seat – sugar rush! - and the two of them set out for the bus stop and home. About halfway to the bus stop, Ikeda slowed and then ducked into a gap between the two buildings.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Arai asked, following.

Ikeda didn't reply, just beckoned Arai closer.

Arai continued until he was a few feet away from Ikeda with both of them well into the alley. “What-” he started to ask, but was interrupted as Ikeda swiftly closed the distance between the two of them and licked the side of his mouth. Then, while Arai was still frozen, trying to pinpoint what in the world had just happened, Ikeda kissed him. Or at least, Arai thought he did. Really, it was over so fast that it didn't even have time to sink in before they were back to staring at each other in a dark alley. Arai blinked. “Did you just kiss me?”

Ikeda shrugged, the picture of nonchalance if you ignored the blush that was staining his cheeks. “You had some ice cream on your mouth.”

Arai stared blankly for a moment, then finally put it all together. “You did kiss me! Why would you do that?” he asked. His hand flew up to cover his mouth, as though by removing it from sight he could keep Ikeda from going after it again.

“Why do people usually kiss other people?”

Arai grimaced. “I'm not a girl!”

Ikeda rolled his eyes. “Duh. Look, idiot, the truth is, I like you. OK?”

Arai was beginning to feel like if the tennis thing didn't work out, he would always have a promising career as a goldfish, what with the way his mouth was opening and closing. Finally, he managed to sputter out, “But you- I mean, what- how-”

Ikeda shut him up by kissing him again, a little longer this time. Not bad, Arai decided, managing to finally make a little sense of what was happening. Ikeda started to pull away, but Arai quickly pulled him back. Better.

When they finally separated, Ikeda was flushed and Arai was a lot less confused. He smirked. “So that whole 'Let's go to the aquarium! It'll be fun!' speech was complete bullshit after all. I knew it.”

“Whatever. Got a problem?”

“None whatsoever. After all, I'm not the girl in this relationship.” Arai headed back to the main street while Ikeda gaped after him, whistling a little to himself. He was just stepping back out onto the main sidewalk when Ikeda regained his balance enough to chase after him.

“Hey! What makes you think I'm the girl here? I'm the one who asked you out!”

“Yeah, but I'm the one who paid.”

Ikeda's eyes widened, then narrowed. “We'll just see about that,” he said. They fell silent after that, waiting for the bus.

When the bus arrived, before Arai could even move, Ikeda was stepping forward and depositing fare for two in the machine. Arai shook his head and boarded, smirking slightly.

Ikeda had grabbed a seat in the back of the bus. Settling in beside him, Arai had two thoughts: he wondered how long he could get Ikeda to pay for things like this for him before he realized what was going on and he wondered what Ikeda might say if he told him that he looked cute when he was mad.

In the end, Arai said neither, and eventually they started talking about tennis. And things were the same as usual, except that when they finally parted ways for the day, instead of waving good-bye, they kissed, and Arai whistled the rest of the way home. He could seriously get used to this.

\--

“Arai, Ikeda, can we talk for a minute?”

Arai looked up from where he was tying his shoes. Oishi again? What, was he going to give them tickets for something else? Well, Arai certainly wasn't complaining. Finishing off the last crucial loop on his shoelaces, he stood and followed Oishi and Ikeda outside the locker room. They stopped just outside the door.

Oishi smiled. “Don't worry. I won't bother you too much. I just wanted to give you this.” He handed the brown paper bag he was holding to Arai. “I know you're young, but it's never too soon to start playing it safe.” Then he winked – winked, of all things! - and left them to explore what was in the bag.

Still puzzling over his final comment, Arai reached in and pulled some of the contents out into the light of day. Condoms, flavored banana, strawberry, and – Arai blushed – watermelon; lube, just cherry-flavored this time although there might be more in the bag; and...

Arai hastily stuffed the entire handful back into the bag as the door to the locker room opened behind him. He barely even noticed Oishi and Kikumaru walking past because as disturbing as thoughts about their relationship were in connection to this bag, even more frightening was the other thing he had pulled out of it: handcuffs! Highly fuzzy, highly pink, and ohGodhisfacewasburning. If this kept up he might just die.

He nearly did die as an arm fell around his shoulders from behind. He jumped about a foot into the air before he realized that it was just Momo.

“Hey, man, I was just going to ask you...” Momo paused, leaning down and over Arai to look at something.

Arai followed his line of sight and felt his insides freeze. There, lying on the ground, was a lone condom. It had probably slipped through Arai's fingers when he'd returned everything else back to the bag.

“Is that a condom?” Momo asked.

Arai didn't say anything, afraid that he would squeak if he tried. Thankfully, Ikeda, King of Nonchalance, was able to reply, “Yeah, looks like it.”

Momo's arm dropped from around Arai's shoulders and moved to get a closer look at the incriminating object. “Yeah, it definitely is. I wonder how it got there?”

Arai held his breath as Momo pondered this anomaly for a minute, praying that Momo wouldn't make the connection between condom and suspicious brown bag. Finally, Momo seemed to give up on the mystery. Instead, he reached down and picked it up. Turning it over in his hands, he grinned evilly. “You know, never mind what I was going to say before. I think I have a better idea.”

Arai watched with relief as Momo left, slipping the condom into his pocket and presumably muttering evil plans to himself. Arai glared at Ikeda, who definitely had some stupid comment on the tip of his tongue, probably about Arai's blushing habits, and said, “Not a word unless you don't want to find out what else is in this thing,” and started walking.

To his gratification, Ikeda didn't say a single word the entire way back to Arai's house.


End file.
